Evaluating Choices
by GreenPaw
Summary: After Oblivio, Marinette finds herself in a bind. The photo Alya took of Ladybug and Chat Noir has gone viral with everyone believing the duo are now a couple. Wanting to set the record straight, Marinette seeks the counsel of Master Fu who enlightens her on the consequences of lashing out and how it could damage her relationships with Alya and Chat Noir. (S3 Spoilers!)


_A/N – This concept may be familiar to you as there is a story of Marinette starting her own blog in retaliation to Alya's unwanted posting of the kiss photo. While this story takes some inspiration from that one, the turn in events are far different. _

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Embarrassment always seemed ten times worse when publicised and it was no different for Marinette. The now infamous photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing after Oblivio was everywhere. Not only that but the chatter about the topic was rife. Everyone had an opinion and most were that Ladybug and Chat Noir would make an awesome couple.

It was mortifying and stressful to Marinette. Ladybug was meant to be a superhero, not a celebrity who was gossiped about. Dealing with Nadja and Prime Queen had been trialling enough, having the kiss from Dark Cupid plastered all over TV along with Chat Noir angling for a follow up kiss. But then Alya had gone on the record to confirm the duo was not a couple.

All that good work had been undone when her best friend had posted the photo she snapped after Oblivio onto her blog. Inwardly Marinette knew there would be no stopping Alya with what she deemed the scoop of the century. Yet it stung because she hadn't considered Ladybug's opinion on the matter. It had been obvious in their exchange after the photo was taken that Ladybug wasn't happy about the situation. Yet Chat Noir's smug grin was apparently all the approval Alya had needed to go ahead and share the image with the world.

What made it worse was Alya's constant preening at school. Marinette had tried to diplomatically point out that maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but the bespectacled girl had merely shrugged it off as she continued to gloat about her so-called discovery. All Marinette kept hearing about was how Ladybug and Chat Noir were clearly meant to be together. It was driving her insane.

She was already dreading the next akuma attack, envisioning Chat Noir flirting up a storm while she as Ladybug hectically stepped up to save the day while dodging his pickup lines. Frustrated with all the pro-LadyNoir enthusiasts, Marinette found herself slinking off to speak with Master Fu.

Perhaps it was a matter than should have been sorted on her own, but having only Tikki's opinion of _'It'll be okay, rise above it and carry on'_ just wasn't cutting it.

Master Fu didn't seem overly surprised by her arrival and merely waved her inside and offered her a cup of tea. She accepted the offer and sat cross-legged on the floor while she waited. Wayzz and Tikki floated around each other, playing like two long lost cousins.

Marinette let out a deep sigh. For beings who were eternal, her problem probably seemed meagre. Still, she needed guidance and reassurance. It wasn't like she could discuss this with her parents without any bias. Like everyone else in Paris, they seemed all for the superhero match. Although her father wasn't quite as enthusiastic as he once would have been.

Fu brought in the steaming cups and settled opposite her. "What brings you here, Ladybug?"

Circling her hands around the warm teacup, Marinette considered how to explain. "Things are a mess after Oblivio. That photo… the one of the kiss, it's everywhere. Time and again, I've made it clear that I'm not interested in Chat Noir that way, and I have no idea why I would have wanted to kiss him under any circumstances. But what's really bugging me is that everyone is now pushing for Ladybug to be with Chat Noir. I don't know how I'm going to work with him. I have no doubt that he'll be basking in this. It'll encourage him to continue to flirt and show off when he should be concentrating on the job at hand."

"Have you spoken to him about this?"

"No. There haven't been any akuma attacks yet, and when there is I'll be too busy dealing with the chaos while he flaunts and teases. Then we'll have a few minutes before we have to revert back to our normal selves." Fingering the rim of her cup, she added, "I've been considering starting up my own Ladybug blog, to broadcast the truth and my point of view as Ladybug. Maybe it's the best way to clear things up."

Fu cocked his head to the side, glancing off as he considered her words. "Do you really think that is a worthwhile solution? Chances are people will merely say the lady protests too much. Besides, isn't the ladyblogger your friend? To go in complete opposition of her is to bring conflict and bitterness into your friendship. She doesn't know that you are Ladybug, if she knew the truth she may have acted differently. Don't let her rash impulses tarnish your relationship."

While she could see Fu's point, Marinette still felt the need to justify herself. "But I want people to know the truth."

"People will believe what they want to believe, no matter how loudly you suggest otherwise." Fu sipped his tea and his tone remained gentle. "No one is forcing you to be with Chat Noir in a romantic sense. The choice of how you interact with him is up to you. Regardless of what anyone else says, no one can tamper with your true feelings. Nor should they. To me, it sounds like you need to discuss this matter with Chat Noir. Make him understand your discomfort at the current situation. He is a compassionate person. He will listen."

Marinette knew Fu was right. Her partner had no problem in listening to her. Yet previous discussions about their romantic outlooks had done little to sway his attempts to woo her. Somehow, she managed to withhold her snort of derision as she added, "Chat Noir hasn't backed off in the past. I can't see him changing his behaviour particularly since he's been encouraged by this new development."

Fu made a curious wave with his hand, causing the kwamis to swirl in a flurry and Wayzz departed from the room. Taking another sip of his tea, Fu pondered Marinette's comment before replying. "Chat Noir may surprise you. He highly values your good opinion of him. Besides, he is the only one who can explain his own actions."

"But-"

"The most challenging conversations are the ones which stir up conflict. Communication breakdown is the bane of humanity. Your kwamis will confirm this, it is a problem as old as written history. Don't let a misunderstanding destroy your relationship with your miraculous partner."

Staring into her tea, Marinette gave a defeated nod. "I suppose your right. But what do I say to him?"

"Be honest but also respect that Chat Noir has feelings too. What you have to say might be hard for him to hear but it needs to be said. Also note that he may say things to you that are hurtful and defensive. He cares for you and being rejected will be painful to him."

Marinette let out a sigh. "This won't be the first time I've rejected him."

"Which means you need to be tactful and considerate."

"This is more complicated that I thought."

"Ignoring the situation would be worse, while lashing out could be disastrous." Fu sipped his tea before imparting some general wisdom. "The know-it-all might be correct in many things but lacks understanding when it comes to retaining friends."

"Ancient Chinese proverb?"

A lazy smile settled on Master Fu's face. "Words of experience."

Marinette smirked in return, but the lift to her mood quickly faded. "I'm not sure when I could arrange to see him."

The expression on Fu's face turned sly. "Chat Noir will be here soon. I sent Wayzz to get him."

"What?!" Marinette said as she rocketed to her feet, spilling some of her tea. She quickly shifted the cup to her left hand while shaking her right to dispel the hot drips from her skin.

Fu passed her a tea towel. "As I said, it's best to get this out in the open and dealt with."

"I need to transform," Marinette stated in a panic as she looked for somewhere to place her teacup.

Fu held out his hand and took it from her. "Relax, this is a time to set things straight. Breathe."

Marinette nodded as she sucked in hard and fast breaths. "Tikki, spots on."

Within seconds the everyday girl was replaced by the superhero. Yet the nervous waves rolling off Ladybug were no less. Things were going to get awkward and she couldn't help but pick at the fingertips of her gloves.

Minutes later there was a quiet rap at the back door and Fu opened it to reveal Chat Noir. Her partner sauntered inside with a look of uncertainty. "Wayzz said you need to see me," he told Fu as he glanced between the two of them.

"Yes," Fu nodded, "There is some confusion after the events of Oblivio."

Amusement twinkled in Chat's Noir's eyes, yet they also held a touch of insecurity. "There's a definite hole in my memories."

"Mine too," Ladybug added as she glanced at him and then back to Fu. Inhaling deeply, she turned her full attention to Chat Noir. "I'm uncomfortable about the photo and the response it's generating."

Chat Noir's cat ears flicked backward as he looked at her with a perplexed frown. "Nothing bad has come of it. The media will run with whatever they believe is entertaining. Since neither of us remember what exactly occurred, we can hardly refute what they're saying."

"But we're not a couple. Yet they keep insinuating that we are!"

A slight flush touched Chat's cheeks and Ladybug could only assume it was due to her resentment of the idea. "LadyNoir isn't a new thing. Our fans are eager to see us together." Under his breath while looking away, he added, "I'm keen to see us together."

Ladybug clenched the ends of her pigtails as she tried to hold back just how frustrated she was. "While I realise this, that photo has fuelled so much speculation and I feel like we need to combat it. We need for them to understand the truth."

"But neither of us remember what exactly occurred. We only know that we kissed because of the photo. And it did appear to be mutual."

Their eyes met at Chat Noir's last comment, and an undertone of emotion passed between them. One which Ladybug didn't understand. "Are you sure of that?"

Chat Noir took a step closer to her. His voice deepened as he declared, "You were leaning into it, milady, not away."

The need to deny it was almost irrepressible. Ladybug wanted to huff but she'd studied that photo long and hard. Trying to understand why on earth she would have had the desire to kiss Chat Noir. Everything pointed to them both wanting it, the body language practically screamed it. Yet she couldn't imagine what in the world would have swayed her.

"Look regardless of why it happened, I'm sick of the hype. No one wants to talk about what a good job we do in saving Paris, they just want to work out when we'll get married and what our future kids' names are."

A cheeky grin spread across her partner's face. "Personally, I'd like an autumn wedding."

"Chat! You're not helping."

"What? I'm just saying."

"How would you feel if the general public were egging you on to be in a relationship with someone you weren't interested in? Like at all. Someone who couldn't accept that you do not reciprocate their feelings and probably never will. Wouldn't you feel resentful and angry to be forced into a situation where you had to act like it was okay? Particularly when you'd repeatedly told them no."

In her anger, Ladybug failed to notice the way Chat Noir flinched away from her. Of how his kitty ears laid back in distress and his tail lowered to his feet. His lips pulled in tight as he studied the floor and when he spoke his voice was on the verge of cracking. "I understand the discomfort all too well. But I try to be understanding when it comes to the feelings of others. In order to let them down gently."

"And does it work?" she demanded.

"Sometimes," he uttered without meeting her eyes. "But I don't see the relevance in regards to that kiss. Neither of us were our whole selves."

"But no one else sees it that way!" Ladybug insisted as her fingers curled into fists, yet her tone softened as she added, "They think we're in love."

Chat Noir's tail gave a fierce flick. "Maybe because at least one of us is."

"How is that even possible? You don't know the real me."

Long repressed ire escaped Chat Noir. "Because you refuse to let me in! Whatever happened between us during Oblivio broke down the barriers. It allowed us to really see each other."

"Or maybe we were just blindly following what we thought was the truth. Neither of us will ever know."

Master Fu stepped between them with his hands raised. "I know something of what happened."

Both Ladybug and Chat Noir paused to look at him, gasping in tandem, "What?"

Fu looked to Ladybug. "You called me while in the building seeking guidance but both of you were no longer transformed."

Chat Noir's jaw dropped. "You mean we discovered each other's true identities?"

The guardian simply nodded.

Masked feline eyes widened as his hands latched onto his partner's upper arms. "You know what that means, right?"

Ladybug's gaze darted to his hold upon her with an unimpressed look. "I know," she said with annoyance.

"I don't think you do. We fell for each other when we knew the entirety of our personas." The grin on his face was wide and flashed his perfect teeth. Ladybug didn't like the calculated glint in his eye.

"You think I'm attracted to you outside the mask?"

"I'm almost certain," he said with a smugness that made her want to slap him.

Again, Fu cut in. "This rift in your relationship isn't healthy. Perhaps it's time."

"Time for what?" Ladybug asked with a perplexed wrinkle of her nose.

"Time for you to know each other's identity."

Somehow, Chat Noir's grin grew even wider.

"Is that wise?" Ladybug said with a hint of disbelief. "I thought we were to keep our identities secret for our own protection."

"Yes, that has been the reasoning until now. But seeing how much conflict it is causing you both, I think it's time to reassess the situation." Turning to Chat Noir first, he explained. "You claim to love Ladybug yet you do not know her in full, therefore Ladybug believes your feelings are not true." Switching to Ladybug, Fu continued, "You are irked by your partner's constant attention and need to flirt. Perhaps when he realises you are more than just a girl in a mask and tight outfit he'll consider his behaviour on a deeper level."

"Hey! I'm not that shallow." Chat Noir whined.

Fu gave him an assessing look. "Would you pursue a girl in your everyday life the same way you pursue Ladybug?"

"I… suppose."

"Let's put it to the test. It's time to drop your transformations. On the count of three. One… two… three."

Ladybug was hesitant but uttered the words while Chat Noir was beaming as he said his. Together the wash of magical light spilled over them and then Marinette Dupain-Cheng was staring across at Adrien Agreste, whose mouth was hanging as far open as her own.

"Oh my God!" they both shrieked while Fu dusted his hands.

"Now then, you know each other, so sort out your problems and move on." With that the miraculous guardian left the room.

Both revealed superheroes continued to stare at the other, dark blushes staining their cheeks as their minds staggered at the truth. Suddenly the Oblivio kiss made complete sense to Marinette. Because it was Adrien. She'd kissed Adrien! Holy hell, she'd kissed Adrien Agreste and he'd kissed her back!

The blonde on the other hand was looking aghast, his face now pale and his green eyes almost unblinking. "Marinette?" he rasped.

She merely nodded. "Adrien."

His pallid face tinted pink again. "This… this is… unexpected."

At that her racing heart fell to her toes like a heavy stone. "Yeah. It is."

Adrien dipped his head as he studied the floor, his hand lifted to his nape as worry edged his voice. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked, truly baffled.

"For the flirting and being so pushy about… us. Fu is right, I wouldn't have been so… so forward knowing it was you."

His admission made her want to cry. All this time, Chat Noir had been Adrien, the boy she wanted. And she'd been exasperated at his behaviour as Chat Noir. She had been pushing away Chat Noir because she'd thought she wanted someone else and yet underneath it all, it had been Adrien. Why did her life have to be so complicated?

Marinette wanted to say it was okay and that she accepted his apology but how could she? Ladybug was just as responsible for their current situation. It was because of her anger that they'd reached this point of impasse. Of course, Adrien was going to apologise. Of course, he was going to think that she truly didn't want him. Everything was a mess because four personas had suddenly dropped to two. And they'd been lusting over opposite sides of this strange love square.

She didn't know what to do and apparently, neither did he. In that moment Marinette just wanted to hug him. Yet her insecurity ate at her. Adrien was the sort of person who sought out personal touch but at the same time he recoiled when it wasn't wanted. However, the misery in his eyes spoke volumes and Marinette pushed away her hesitation and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry too," she murmured against his shoulder.

Adrien's arms came around her in return and relief swept through Marinette.

"Think we can work through this?" he asked against the shell of her ear.

"Yes," she replied as she squeezed him tighter. "Who knew that keeping our identities a secret would be so troublesome?"

There was a clearing of throat as Plagg waded in. "I did. This happens almost every time."

"It was for their own safety," Tikki interjected.

"Bah, I swear you just live for the drama."

Marinette eased her hold on Adrien to look over at their quarrelling kwamis. She noticed that Adrien didn't let her go. That had her turning to give him a small smile.

Uncertainty lined his features. "So, um, where to from here?"

She shrugged, "I guess it's back to business as usual."

Adrien nodded yet his jaw was clenched. "Please don't punch me for asking, but who's the guy? Is it Luka?"

Marinette repressed the urge to smirk at his obvious jealousy. "While I like Luka, he's not the guy."

"Oh, so who is…"

"You've asked me this before."

Adrien nodded but wouldn't meet her eyes. "Right."

The urge to share the truth was strong but Marinette didn't feel it was the right time. "I'll tell you eventually, Adrien. But for now, let's concentrate on strengthening our current relationship before we dive into anything deeper."

The model lifted his head, meeting her gaze full on with his green eyes widened in understanding. "Wait, you mean…"

"That things might change?" Marinette smiled at him in the adoring way she reserved for the posters on her wall. "Yes, Adrien, I certainly do."

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**And there we have it. Yes, there is a potential for a further story but I don't have any plans of doing so. I thought it best to leave it open and let your imagination fill in the blanks.**

**Thanks for reading, I hoped you enjoyed it and that the story made you think. It's always difficult to deal with conflict but leaving it to fester can make it so much worse. Consider the other person's point of view and have a discussion. Who knows, things may not be as you initially thought. **

**Until next time, stay beautiful and feel free to give the review box some love.**


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